EPISODE #70 -
SATURDAY APRIL 23, 2011
Last week we
talked about the weather pattern changing… I wish it would hurry
up and get here! The homeowner usually has a fresh burst of
energy when the spring time weather arrives. This year I think
people are still waiting for that burst. But don’t worry you
have the holiday weekend to enjoy and then, next week, when the
sun comes out we can tackle all those pressing projects!
Setting Your Easter Table
The spring
is a time of renewal. So maybe it is time to ‘renew’ your table
for Easter or even to make a splash for spring entertaining.
Kim from
Geranium Lake Flowers (503-228-1920) walked Robin through a
bunch of ideas for freshening up your look for the season.
Starting with a basic white tablecloth Kim used a nice set of
soft green plates and included a rose colored napkin
underneath. She made a little vase out of egg shells that were
filled with water and held a flower, and placed that as each
place setting on the table. For a place card holder Kim used
wheatgrass that she found growing in trays at a local grocery
store. These were cut into squares that were used to hold those
place cards. She also used the remaining wheatgrass to build a
center piece that she stuck flowers in to make a very nice
‘spring’ themed basket/centerpiece.
Chair Affair +
It is time
to take a seat… for charity! We took some time to meet with the
organizers of the
Chair Affair + to learn about this event and to see some of
these incredible works of art. The event benefits the Community
Warehouse. Director Roz Babener told us that this organization
assists families and individuals that need help in setting up
their new homes and living areas. They take gently used
household items and distribute them. You can’t just go and shop
their stores though. They only work with families that are
referred by one of the hundred different social service agencies
in Oregon and SW Washington that partner with the Community
Warehouse.
That brings
us to the benefit for the Community Warehouse, the Chair Affair
+. This is the 5th year for this great event and it
is named for the numerous chairs that are designed and decorated
by local artists. Mariam Hecht, the volunteer chair of the
event, told us that this year’s event is taking place on the
28th and 29th of April at Pioneer Place in downtown Portland.
On the 28th there is a benefit dinner party where you can bid on
the table settings. And these are not your usual dishes and
cups. Each of these tables has a theme and you can purchase the
one that fits your mood or décor. Robin fell in love with the
one that featured a plate from her hometown of Denver. On the
29th there is the final evening of fun where you can bid on the
chairs and meet the artists. We had a chance to meet with Jo
and Adam Grishman who were there to show us their chair
‘creations’. If you would like to buy tickets to the event you
can go to their website, or if you can’t make it to the event
you can still bid on the chairs (or even buy them) by going
on-line to the event website. This is a great event and it is
your chance to help families get a head start on a new life with
much needed household materials.
NYC – Milo’s NW Mixed Grill
In this ‘Now
You’re Cooking’ segment Jenna from NW Natural was joined by Chef
Loren Skogland from
Milo’s City
Café (, 503-288-MILO) at the
NW
Natural Appliance Center (503-220-2362) to see what he could
whip on the Lynx grill. Loren has a great menu at Milo’s and he
was able to show us something that was very easy to do and
serve, a ‘mixed grill’. The mixed grill consisted of some lamb
chops, a petite beef tenderloin, a venison & rabbit sausage some
russet potatoes and some asparagus spears. He started by
blanching the potatoes so they were partially cooked. Since
they are so large and thick you want to do this so they will
finish grilling at the same time as the rest of your meal.
Loren coated them with olive oil and placed them on the grill.
Next went on a double cut of lamb chop and a petite tenderloin
of American Kobe beef. It is just as tender as its Japanese
cousin, but we thought it was a little tastier. He finished by
placing some raw asparagus spears coated with olive oil on the
Lynx grill. The Lynx Grill is a great grill for outdoor
cooking. It has ceramic briquettes on the bottom which even out
the heat and so you have no hot or cold spots on your grill,
just a nice consistent temperature. The Lynx grill we used had
been outside for over 4 years and it was still doing a great job
grilling!
Once we got
close to the meat being done Chef Loren showed us how to tell
when your meat is ready. The cuts of meat start out soft and as
they cook they get firm. When the meat is close to being
finished just pinch it. Over time you will get a feel for the
doneness of your meat and you can be more consistent in your
cooking. The one thing you don’t want to do is over cook your
meat. If you would like to learn more about the Now You’re
Cooking segments or to get the recipes go to the
NW Natural website.
Seared Avocado Cakes
A couple of
years ago we had a chance to meet Chef Eric Nelson of the
Vitality
Bistro at Wellspring (971-983-5280) in Woodburn. We caught
up with him again just as he was putting the finishing touches
on his new menu items at the Bistro. The bistro uses a lot of
fresh ingredients from their own garden and they source foods
from local farmers and growers. This time he had a Seared
Avocado Cake, a sumac peach salsa and a chipotle carrot coulis
for us. It seems like a lot to prepare, but once you have your
ingredients organized, it goes together quickly. It is similar
to a crab cake without the crab, though you could add some if
you wanted. For the cakes he added bread chunks, cilantro,
black beans, red onions, red bell peppers, fresh garlic, lime
juice, smashed avocados and some egg whites to bind it all
together. These were mixed together and formed into patties and
they were left to sauté in a pan on the stove.
Next we
moved to the sumac peach salsa. This sumac is not the kind you
find in the woods here, this is a bush that has fragrant and
tasty red flowers. This recipe has jalapeño, red bell pepper,
sherry vinegar, red onions, cilantro and the sumac. All of
these ingredients were finely chopped and then stirred together
into a tasty and colorful mix.
Finally we
made a Chipotle carrot coulis, which is just a thick blended
sauce. He started with full cooked carrots, chipotles (smoked
jalapenos) some orange juice and some lime juice. These were
pureed in a blender and that took just a couple of seconds to
do!
This was an
easy dish to make and, take it from us, it was delicious. To
try it for yourself, stop by the bistro when you are in the
Woodburn area, or
click here for the recipe.
The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg
If you like
hard boiled eggs you know that getting them to peel perfectly is
hard to do. Chef David showed us a method for creating the
perfect hard boiled egg. First he showed us how you can tell
the difference between hard boiled egg and a raw egg without
cracking them open. You spin them! The one that spins faster
and freely is hard boiled. The one that spins slower and
wobbles is the raw egg. Pretty cool! Now to the boiling…
First you get your pan of water close to a boil then you add a
tablespoon of vinegar and a half teaspoon of salt and then the
eggs. The reason you don’t want boiling water is because it will
bounce the eggs around and they could crack and break. Now
without boiling the water, allow them to stay in the water for
15 minutes. Take them off the stove and let them cool under
running water for about 4 minutes and peel. If you want a
little more detailed recipe check it out here. |
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